We Must Always Travel in Hope
by eva.chrisovitsanousweety
Summary: Anna has been arrested! How will everyone cope with this? How will Mrs. Hughes cope with her 'daughter's' arrest?


**A/N: This is my own idea of what happened as we didn't see what happened after they took Anna until the day of the revelation of the War Memorial and what will happen after episode eight ended. I decided to name my story with the phrase that Mr. Carson said to Mrs. Hughes and made her smile even for a moment. I didn't know if I was actually going to write this story because I am already writing a story for Major Crimes and I am working on a modern story of Downton Abbey but I decided to give it a go even if it will take me until Christmas Special to finish it. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except from the idea! **

They watched as they took Anna away from them, away from her husband, away from her mother. Yes, her mother because Mrs. Hughes was a mother to Anna, more than her own mother had ever been. They all turned their eyes to John or on the floor as they didn't know what to do or to say. No one had noticed that something was wrong with the housekeeper. She had brought her right hand on her left arm and was grabbing it as pain was hitting her very hard there while she was trying to breathe normally.

She started feeling dizzy but tried to stay steel, to stay steady on her feet because she didn't want to get the attention of the others. She closed her eyes trying to breathe normally but the pain was still there and her breathing was getting slower and slower as the seconds were passing. She just wanted to scream, to have her daughter back. She just wanted to lock herself in the sitting room and cry without anyone seeing her. Suddenly, she felt herself struggling to breathe, the pain increased and the dizziness got worse.

"Mrs. Hughes?", it was Ms. Baxter who noticed first that something was definitely wrong with the housekeeper. She placed her hands on the older woman's arms. She was very worried about her now.

They all heard the concerned voice of the woman and turned around to see what was happening. They all saw how Mrs. Hughes fell backwards in Ms. Baxter's arms, who was obviously struggling to keep the weight of the older woman for much longer.

"Mrs. Hughes!", both Mr. Carson and Lord Grantham shouted at the same time as they ran quickly to catch Mrs. Hughes before she could fall down and bring Ms. Baxter with her.

"There is a couch in the sitting room. We can take her there.", Mr. Carson said as he and Lord Grantham picked up Mrs. Hughes.

Mr. Bates was left there standing and looking as the two men took the unconscious housekeeper to the sitting room. He was shocked as the police had just taken his wife as the murderer of Green and he was even more shocked when he watched the woman who had been a great support to him and Anna collapsing.

About half an hour later Mrs. Hughes opened her eyes. In the beginning she was confused but then she realized that she was laying in the couch of the sitting room and that they had arrested Anna as a murderer. She turned her head and saw that Mr. Carson, Lord Grantham, Ms. Baxter and Lady Mary were inside the sitting room as well looking at her very worried.

"What happened?", she asked as she tried to sit up in the couch but a sudden wave of dizziness forced her to lay back down.

"Easy, Mrs. Hughes.", Mr. Carson told her as he was at her side immediately. "You fainted in the servant's hall. Lord Grantham and me brought you here.", he explained to her. "We were going to call for a doctor to come.", he admitted to her knowing how much she hated doctors.

"No!", she shouted. Slowly and with the help of Mr. Carson she managed to sit up without getting dizzy again. "I am fine. It was just the shock of what happened. I am sure that I will better in the morning after I rest.", she assured them with a sad smile.

"Let's go upstairs to inform the others.", Lord Grantham told to his daughter and turned his attention to the butler and the housekeeper. "If Mrs. Hughes doesn't feel well through the night, please Carson call for a doctor and inform me.", he told them with a worried look.

"Don't worry, My Lord.", Mr. Carson assured him. "I will inform you if anything happens.", he watched as they left the sitting room. "Ms. Baxter could you get Mrs. Hughes a cup of tea in her room as I help her to her room?", he asked the younger woman with concern.

"Of course, Mr. Carson.", she left to get the tea ready to take it to the housekeeper's room. She was worried about the older woman. She respected her and admired her very much.

Mr. Carson helped Mrs. Hughes up to her room, a little surprised when she hadn't protested or denied his help. He stayed with her until Ms. Baxter had come with the tea and made sure that she would help Mrs. Hughes changed first. He wanted so badly to stay and take care of her but that wasn't proper. He tried to help her as much as he could the last days in London as they organized things and packed for their return to Downton.

**/-00-/**

Only a week had passed since the day they arrested Anna while they were all in London for Rose's wedding. They had all arrived the day before as today was the service for the War Memorial. They all were crying as Mr. Carson was reading his speech. They were all remembering someone that had died in the war for their country and that was bringing the tears. They had all been surprised when Lord Grantham had asked from Mrs. Patmore to follow him. Although, they were even more surprised when they watched what he revealed underneath the red cloth.

Mr. Carson with a sad smile on his face nodded his approval to Lord Grantham and turned around to find Mrs. Hughes smiling sadly and crying silently. They started walking slowly side by side towards the house and soon all the habitants of the big house were walking in pairs towards the house.

"Poor Mr. Bates!", Mrs. Hughes shook her head as she was looking in front of her while Mr. Carson looked at her for a moment. "They locked him up when he was innocent. Why shouldn't they do the same with his wife?", she kept staring the road in front of her.

"I have faith in British justice!", Mr. Carson said and turned a little his head to look at her from the corner of his eyes. "Mr. Bates was released in the end.", he informed her.

"After it served time.", she sounded like she was losing her hope. "Sorrow seems to shadow them both.", he looked at her for a moment. "And in their wake it shadows us.", she turned her head away from him as her voice broke with the emotion and he looked at her immediately.

"Come, Mrs. Hughes! This isn't like you.", he told her trying to calm her but she kept looking away from him and with her head a little down she shed a few silent tears. "Take courage for their shake.", he looked for a moment in front of him and then at her again. "We must always travel in hope!", as he said that she looked up at him with a smile, a sad smile but it was a smile. He knew that she had gotten back a little of her hope.

As they arrived in the front door the family and the staff separated. The family entered from the front door while the staff entered from the back door. Only Mr. Carson entered from the front door in case the family needed something before he went to his room to change back to his work clothes. The family decided to retire for half an hour in their bedrooms and that gave Mr. Carson time to change and rest for a few minutes.

He took his time to change into his work clothes as he recalled the emotional conversation he had with Mrs. Hughes as they were approaching the house. He realized that he saw her smile for the first time in a week and that made him very sad. Suddenly, he realized that something was wrong with the housekeeper a few months now.

They had argued a lot of times the last few months and she had given up after the first fight to make him see reason. She wasn't fighting for her opinion as she usually did. She had lost some of her sparkle, of her spirit and of her hope. He remembered that a few times he had watched her retiring for the evening in her room and her pace was slower than usual. He had noticed that she wasn't sleeping very much every night the last few months and she had dark circles under her eyes which she covered very well with her make-up.

At that moment he realized that Mrs. Hughes was slowly crumbling in front of them without anyone noticing anything. That made him very sad and guilty. He knew that he was a part of this and he didn't know how to make it better. He had to find a way to help her and as soon as possible.

That evening he invited himself in her sitting room and brought a bottle with her favourite wine. He wanted to see her smile, even if it was a small sad smile. They discussed everything that night except from the subject that bothered them all, the arrest of Anna. She was very tired and all she wanted that moment was her bed. She stood up and made her excuse but before she could leave the sitting room, he had stood up as well and grabbed her. Suddenly, she was standing in front of him surprised waiting his next move and when it came she was even more surprised. He lowered his head and kissed her on the lips.

In the beginning she didn't respond as she was quite shocked and surprised but then she relaxed and returned the kiss with passion. They broke apart as they were both breathless and looked in each other's eyes. He left without saying anything and that confused her so much. She went up to her room with tears in her eyes and when she had finally changed into her nightgown she allowed her tears and sobs to fall more freely. She cried herself to sleep but it was a restless sleep.

**Please review! I would like to know what you think! Shall I continue this?**


End file.
